The Taste of White Skin
by Skye Quisame
Summary: When Dante told Mundus to give his regards to his son, he didn't think it'd be the other way around. Dakura proves to be stronger than his father, and Dante seems to be in too deep before he realizes it.


The Taste of White Skin  
  
Chapter 1  
  
Months went by after the entire incident with Mundus, and business has been booming with false alarms. The entire world was in terror. But, with all of the new business Dante was getting, he was able to fix the wall that Trish had…destroyed, and was able to add some new features to his special little business. He installed red carpeting to the once bare wooden floor. Some of the old dust and stains that was on the windows was finally rid of, much to Dante's pleasure.  
  
Dante's life had changed in many ways after his little rendezvous on Mallet Island. He had taken Trish in and gave her a home, but sometimes regretting his decision. Dante never learned about PMS, so once a month, he was always puzzled by Trish's random mood swings. Dante also got more into his musical talent, sometimes irritating Trish while playing his drums. To find solace, Dante would take an old music box that belonged to his mother down to the nearby docks, and opened it, humming to the tune that played. He'd never given much thought to these things before, but ever since he got his first friend, Trish, a lot of things became clearer and more important in his life. It wasn't all bars, sleeping with random women, and Devil Hunting anymore. It was finally the second chance that Dante always had longed to have.  
  
There were occasional fights between Dante and Trish. Hell, every friendship had them. Sometimes they were petty and worthless, mainly caused by Trish's mood swings. Sometimes, they ended up with Dante getting plastered at the bar after losing an argument to his blonde crony. But, all of the other times, they were about Dante's reoccurring nightmare. He'd always dream about a tall man with black hair and jade eyes. He wore a black shirt, black gloves, and blue jeans. Also, in his dreams was a girl with brown hair and amethyst eyes. She had black baggy pants and a white t- shirt. Around her neck was a black pendant with gold lining. She'd always be in terror around the dark-haired man. Dante would always be running after her, but would never make it in time, and then, he'd drop to the ground, dead. In the background of the dream was the same tune to the music box he possessed.  
  
Dante grinned, listening to the beautiful tune to his mother's music box. He leaned back in his big chair with the green cushioning, propping his feet up onto the huge wooden desk in front of him, his steel boots making a 'thud' sound onto the wood. He placed both gloved hands behind his head and closed his soft blue eyes, getting lost in the song. Escaping deep from the devil's throat was a hum, going along to the tune of the song. It was cold and rainy out that day, so Dante stayed in Devil May Cry, hoping Trish wouldn't find him. The song ended, and Dante leaned forward, grabbing the small wooden box on his desk, and slowly closing the smooth lid of it. Dropping his feet onto the ground, he smiled at the small box and placed it into a drawer of his desk. He grabbed hold of the sides of his desk, and pulled himself in the chair forward, the wheels of the giant chair moving silently along the carpeted floor.  
  
The devil let out a long, tired yawn and looked around at the walls of Devil May Cry. The sight was so familiar to him that he was getting quite bored with it. It had looked the same for about 8 years now, and it was just so plain to him. He let out an exasperated sigh and placed his left arm onto the desk, drumming his fingers onto the green blotter on the desktop. He starting bobbing his head to the rhythm of his drumming then glanced over at the drum set in the corner. Grinning, Dante pushed his chair from his desk and stood up, heading towards the corner of Devil May Cry. He walked behind his drum set and took a seat on the black stool, picking up the drumsticks that were on the snare drum. Knowing that this would aggravate Trish, and wanting to have fun with it, he began to play.  
  
Not too long after the first few beats, Dante could hear Trish's fast footsteps on the wooden stairs, racing down to yell at the demon. He chuckled to himself and smirked, beating on the drums louder with every step that Trish took. In a matter of seconds, there she was. Trish was standing at the doorway to the back room, which led to the bathroom and the stairs. Knowing Trish would scream at him for playing the drums while she was trying to rest, Dante cranked up the volume to drown out anything she had to say to him.  
  
"Huh, what?" Dante asked, smirking when he was done with his song.  
  
"That wasn't funny, Dante," Trish said, glaring and placing both hands on her hips.  
  
"No, it wasn't," he told her. "It was mad skill."  
  
Trish opened her mouth to snap back at Dante's dumb remark when the phone rang. She went to pick it up when Dante jumped on the desk, rolling off, but in the process, grabbing the receiver to the black phone. Trish rolled her eyes as Dante shot her a goofy smile and placed the receiver to his ear.  
  
"Devil May Cry."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Sir, are you a mental patient?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"You're SURE you're not a mental patient?"  
  
Silence.  
  
"All righty then. I'm on it."  
  
Dante crawled to his feet and placed the receiver back onto the base of the phone. Walking past Trish, he picked up Alastor, which was on a stand that was screwed to the wall. Placing it on his back, he walked to the opposite wall and picked up his two guns: Ebony and Ivory. He twirled them around on his fingers and held the grip firmly to get the feel of them before heading out. At the doorway, he stopped, and looked over at his blonde friend on the opposite end of the building.  
  
"Grab Sparda and let's go."  
  
*  
  
Dante sighed and looked around at the scenery. It was his hometown, Serak. He had left it 20 years ago after the whole… incident with his mother and brother. He ran after their deaths, he didn't know how far, and eventually, passed out. When he awoke, he was in an orphanage in a different town. He lived in the orphanage until he was 18. No parents ever adopted him, so he was let to go on his own when he was a legal adult. He traveled to the current town he was residing in, Takkar, and set up Devil May Cry.  
  
"So…?" Trish said, breaking Dante's train of thought. "Let's go."  
  
"No, not yet," Dante told her. "There's a place I want to visit first."  
  
"Ok, so I'll hang out at this bar, ok?" Trish asked. "Come get me when you're ready."  
  
"Fine by me," Dante said, beginning to walk away.  
  
"Dante!" Trish called after him.  
  
"What?" Dante asked, turning around and looking at Trish.  
  
"Why'd you ask if that guy was a mental patient?"  
  
Dante chuckled and shook his head. "No reason. Just screwing with the guy's head."  
  
Dante started off again, looking around the old town. He smiled and shook his head. It was entirely different. It didn't bother him at all, though. He knew exactly where he was going. Turning a corner, he could hear the faint sound of a young woman signing. He lifted an eyebrow. He didn't think this town had homeless people. It was such a small and humble place. He shrugged and kept walking. As he came closer to the singing, he recognized the song. It was the same song from his music box! He walked towards the beautiful voice, and saw a giant crowd. He tapped one guy on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey, buddy," he said. "What's the deal here?"  
  
"You're not from around here, are you?" he asked.  
  
"Not exactly…" Dante told him.  
  
"It's that chick, Sirea," the guy told Dante. "She's got the damn prettiest voice in the whole town, and also the nicest body. Too bad I'm twice her age, heh. She's singing for us today."  
  
"What, is she famous or something?" Dante asked.  
  
"Not really," he said. "She's just barely holdin' onto the home she's got now, and since she has nice a voice, she sings for us once a month to bring in extra money. Fortunately, that's not the case this time. She's singing for some charity. Some orphanage in Zaback."  
  
Dante opened his eyes wide at the mention of Zaback. "Excuse me?"  
  
"You didn't hear? An orphanage in Zaback was attacked recently."  
  
Dante's eyes turned crimson as his rage built up. Who would attack an orphanage and why? Most importantly, why did it have to be the one he lived at for 12 years?  
  
"Who attacked it?"  
  
"We don't know yet. Fortunately, none of them kids were harmed none. All we know is that the guy came in, shootin', and askin' for "the link". Ain't none of us know if he meant an object or some kinda person."  
  
"Yea, thanks…" Dante said, nodding slowly, and trying to get a look over the crowd. He felt as though he had to do with this "link." Maybe, the guy was talking about that girl. That damn girl singing to a tune that he's known for 23 years.  
  
The song ended and the crowd parted slowly, but Dante continued to look for the singer. After five minutes of loud talking, people walking past him, and little girls saying that they idolize Sirea, Dante saw her. She had long, wavy brown hair and violet eyes that creeped the hell out of Dante. Her white t-shirt was slightly tight on her, and almost hugged her figure. Her black pants looked like they could fit someone twice her age, but she looked just fine in them. Around her neck was a black pendant with gold around the edges. He was slightly taken aback at the sight. That girl, Sirea, was the same violet-eyed girl from his nightmares! Dante shook his head, coming back to reality. He ran up to the girl.  
  
"Hey," he said to her.  
  
She smiled at him. "Hey."  
  
Even though she was smiling, the expression on her face said 'you're a creep. Leave me alone.' Dante shook his head and laughed apon seeing this.  
  
"No, no. I'm not a creep," he said to her. "So… uhh… You're raising money for the Zaback orphanage?"  
  
She nodded with a confused look on her face. "Yea…"  
  
"You know, I went there for 12 years of my life," Dante said. "I was devastated when I heard it was attacked."  
  
"Oh, I'm so sorry."  
  
"No, no. It's ok. It was about 8 years ago."  
  
"Oh… Well, I'm sorry you lost your parents."  
  
"Forget it. I just want to know how you knew that song."  
  
"I've known it for as long as I can remember… Ever since my parents died, I've always had the same nightmare. But, the weird thing about it is that it never makes any sense."  
  
Sirea looked up at Dante and began to study him carefully. She gasped and opened her violet eyes wide, taking a few steps back, her sneakers making a scratching noise against the rough pavement. She shook her head, looking down at the sidewalk, and placing her hands on her temples. Dante looked at her curiously.  
  
"You're one of the guys from my nightmare…"  
  
Dante developed a scared look on his face and opened his eyes wide. He took a deep breath and laughed nervously, not knowing what to make of this. He shook his head with a nervous smile on his face. He looked up at the clear blue sky.  
  
"Oh god…" he said weakly.  
  
"Don't tell me you've had it, too!" Sirea shouted.  
  
"For the last few months, yes," Dante said, looking back down at Sirea.  
  
"Oh, I just realized!" Sirea said. "We don't know each other's names, do we? Hehe, I'm always rambling off about myself to strangers. I'm sorry. My name's Sirea. Sirea Serkaine."  
  
"Dante Sparda."  
  
"So, what brings you here, Dante?" Sirea asked, anxious to change the subject.  
  
Dante shrugged. "Business."  
  
"Oh…?"  
  
"Hey, you've lived here for a while, right?" Dante asked.  
  
"Yea…" she said.  
  
"Could you show me to 56 Uzun Lane?"  
  
"That old dump? No one's lived there for 20 years. Not since it was attacked."  
  
Dante smiled. "Great. Take me there."  
  
*  
  
Sirea opened the door to the old house and Dante walked inside and looked around. It was exactly how he had remembered it. Right at the doorway was the staircase to the second floor. To the left of the staircase was the living room. It had an old white couch that started up against the furthest most wall, and circled around, dividing the room in half. On the wall where the couch started were four huge windows. Up against it was a small table with a black lamp on it. Between the couch and the windows was a white table. Behind the couch was a bunch of old toys of Dante and Vergil's. It was their playroom, almost.  
  
Dante took a few steps and peered into the kitchen. The kitchen table was still where he had remembered it. Along the sides of the walls, starting from the left, going around to the right, was: a pantry, the refrigerator, a long counter that was up against the three walls, cabinets above the counter, the sink, and the stove.  
  
Dante turned around and looked at the family room. There was an olive green couch up against the right wall. In the left corner was a TV resting apon a brown shelf. Up against the back wall was a giant stereo with a speaker on either side. In the center of the room was a small brown coffee table with random papers, toys, and other junk carelessly strewn about on it.  
  
Dante grinned wide and walked past Sirea to look upstairs. On the wall leading up along the staircase was old pictures of Dante, Vergil, and their mother. Dante smiled and shook his head. He was such a dork as a kid. At the top of the staircase, on the left, was a hallway leading to the bathroom. Straight ahead was another hallway. On the left was the master bedroom. All the way at the end was Dante's room, and to the right was Vergil's room.  
  
Dante stepped into his own room first. It was still as messy and screwed up as he remembered. Clothes were strewn about everywhere. On the left, up against the wall, was his dresser. On the far end of the room was a giant window. On the right was his bed, the blue sheets thrown about carelessly on it.  
  
Dante then stepped into his brother's room. On the left wall was his closet. On the furthest wall were a giant window and his dresser. On the right wall was his bed. Vergil, obviously a lot neater than his brother, considering his bed was made, things were put away, and his clothes were actually hanging up. Of course… random toys were spilling out of his closet, but some carelessness couldn't be avoided in a 4-year-old.  
  
Dante took a deep breath and took a step into his mother's room. He looked at the white carpet, and sure enough, his mother's blood was still spilled on it. Dante took another deep breath and leaned up against the dusty wall, crossing his arms over his chest, and taking a deep breath. Suddenly, his cell phone rang, and he jumped, not expecting a sudden noise like that. He reached into the deep pocked of his trench coat and pulled out his cell phone.  
  
"Talk to me."  
  
Silence.  
  
"No, I'm not getting plastered at a different bar, Trish."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Ah, he'll get over it."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Blow me."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Come on, Trish. You know you want to."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Ok, OK! I'll be there in 10 minutes, ok?"  
  
Dante grunted and pressed the 'Cancel' button on his phone, placing it back into his pocket. He walked out of the old room, and back downstairs. He walked to the doorway, and turned around, just staring at his old house. It was his way of saying goodbye to it, because he knew that he'd never see it again. He let out a sigh and turned around again, reaching for the knob, when…  
  
"BOO!"  
  
Dante jumped as he felt a hand on either shoulder. He spun around, grabbing Ebony, and pointing it at whoever was behind him. Seeing that it was only Sirea, he sighed with relief and put the pistol away, scowling at the young girl who was beside herself with laughter.  
  
"That wasn't funny, Sirea," Dante said to her. "Two people very close to me were killed in this house, and you just scared the hell out of me."  
  
"And, we all know that there's a lot of hell to scare out of the son of the Legendary Sparda," a deep male's voice said.  
  
"Ok, Sirea," Dante said. "Stop the antics. It's not funny anymore."  
  
"Dante, that…" Sirea said. "That wasn't me."  
  
"Well, if it wasn't you and it wasn't me, then who was it?" Dante asked.  
  
"It was me," the voice said again.  
  
The entire room became filled with mist. Through the thick mist, a shape was starting to form. Before long, the mist began to form the shape of a human. The mist parted, and there stood a tall man with jet-black hair and piercing jade colored eyes. A scar was resting on his left cheek, starting up near his temple, and going about a half of an inch above his mouth. His black shirt was tight, but not showing off too much of his build. The sleeves were rolled up about 6 inches from his shoulder. He had black gloves identical to Dante's and black jeans that seemed to fit him comfortably. Sirea's eyes opened wide and she screamed in pure terror. She jumped behind Dante, holding onto the devil from behind, burying her face into his back.  
  
"Sirea, there's a bar called 7th Heaven on the outskirts of town. Inside is a tall woman with long blonde hair and blue eyes. Go get her," Dante said.  
  
Sirea nodded slowly, then opened the screen door, and ran outside as fast as she could. She began racing down long streets, weaving in and out of people, pushing them aside. She raced up to the steps of the small bar, and headed over to the bar. She frantically looked around for the blonde woman, and when she spotted her, she raced over. She leaned up against the bar, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Dante…" she said. "Old house… Mysterious stranger… He's in trouble, go!"  
  
"You… no… make… sense," Trish mocked.  
  
"JUST GO TO 56 UZUN LANE!" Sirea shouted.  
  
Normally, Trish would argue with this girl about why she shouldn't go, but in this case, she heard the words "Dante" and "in trouble" in the same sentence, so she knew that something was very wrong. She raced out of the bar, heading towards the old house.  
  
  
  
(Ahhh! What's going to happen? What's going to happen? –Runs around in circles screaming- Heh, that's for me to know and for you to find out. I NEED YOUR IMPUT! Tell your friends! I really, really need feedback because of the lack of reviews I've been getting recently. So, if you're reading this, review, tell your friends, tell them to tell their friends, and so on and so on. PLEASE! –Dies of desperation-) 


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